Jackson Free Press

The Jackson branch of the NAACP is calling for the ouster of Connie Cochran, the chairwoman of the Hinds County Election Commission, for problems during the Nov. 4 general election.

Some precincts saw unexpectedly high turnout. Some of those polling places ran out of ballots late in the evening, which touched off a mad scramble to print more. Agitated by the long waits, some voters left without casting their ballots.

Later, Connie Cochran—the chairwoman of the Hinds County Election Commission—admitted that the commission failed to follow a state law mandating that enough ballots be printed for 75 percent of registered voters. Cochran took responsibility for making the call to save the county money.

Wayne McDaniels, president of the local NAACP, said through a press release: "Ms. Cochran violated thousands of Hinds County residents’ constitutional rights and broke the state law by not having enough election ballots at the time of voting. In addition, the Jackson City Branch NAACP is also asking for any other commissioner’s resignation if they voted with her or supported her actions."

Board Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen told supervisors that Cochran's statements to local media would likely result in legal action. He cited a state law that makes violating state-election requirements a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fee.

This week, supervisors took the additional step of formally asking Robert Shuler Smith, the county's chief prosecutor, and Attorney General Jim Hood to sanction the five-member election commission after amending a motion to single out Connie Cochran, the District 4 representative, for reprimand. District 4 Supervisor Tony Greer voted against the motion to ask for sanctions.

Ahead of the Friday deadline to qualify for state and county offices, several Jacksonians have qualified as Democrats in several races. That includes some old faces from local politics trying their hands at new, higher seats.

Bruce Burton of Jackson has qualified to run for the Central District seat on the Public Service Commission; Democratic state Rep. Cecil Brown has been actively campaigning for the seat for months.

Robert Amos, who has run for Jackson City Council and mayor, will compete for the Mississippi Department of Transportation's Central District post.

Democratic Party records show that Stan Alexander, a former Hinds County prosecutor now with the attorney general's office, has qualified to seek the Hinds County district attorney's seat. DA Robert Smith as of this morning has not qualified for reelection, party information shows.

Plavise Patterson, a businesswoman and community activist who ran for Jackson city council's Ward 5 in 2013, has qualified to run in Mississippi House District 69 along with incumbent Alyce Clarke. Corinthian Sanders, another perennial name on local ballots, will run for House District 72 against incumbent Kimberly Campbell.

And Charles E. Graham of Jackson qualified to contend for state auditor in the Democratic primary as well. Republicans in that race include incumbent Stacey Pickering and Madison Mary Hawkins Butler.

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd this evening issued a temporary restraining order for a state gun law that would have taken effect July 1.

The law amended an existing statute to clarify that carrying weapons in plain view without a permit is legal. At a press conference yesterday, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith said he would seek a temporary restraining order against the law.

Kidd heard arguments from opponents of the law as well as attorneys from the state. He set a July 8 hearing date to determine whether to extend the TRO.

Judie Gray Livingston, the woman who didn't even know her eldest child was running for statewide office before August, said she always thought he'd make a good governor.

"It was always my desire that he would run for governor," Livingston told the Jackson Free Press. "I think that's every mother's (desire)."

Livingston joined her son and daughter, Angela Gray (who is also her big brother's campaign manager), at a prayer vigil for Democratic candidates this afternoon at Smith Park.

Gray, 56, unexpectedly won the Democratic primary in August to become the party's nominee.

Meanwhile, across town, Republicans held a cook-off and rally today at the Ag Museum to promote their slate of statewide candidates.

Judie Gray said she prayed for the passage of the school funding Initiative 42 as well as for salary increases for teachers and state employees as well as infrastructure upgrades.

"This is a positive thing he's done. There's nothing negative," she told me. "He's all about the people of Mississippi wanting to improve."

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Francis P. Smith Jr., pastor of Total Praise and Worship on Cedar Lane in south Jackson, has qualified for the race to be the next mayor of Jackson, information from the city clerk's office shows.

Smith competed as an Independent in the June 2013 general election for mayor, which late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba won in a landslide.

In an interview leading up to that contest, Smith told the Jackson Free Press: "I'm running for mayor, simply, to bring Jackson out of the slum, out of the abyss, out of the pits of hell."

Smith served as the Housing and Rehabilitation Manager for the city from 2002 through 2011 under Harvey Johnson Jr.'s administration and, later, the Frank Melton administration.

The JFP reported last year:

In that position, Smith supervised the Housing and Rehabilitation staff as they enforced city codes, executed community improvement projects, assured recipients spent Community Development Block Grants funds properly, and assisted elderly and disabled citizens with housing needs, such as roofing, electrical, plumbing and foundational repairs.

Smith is just the third candidate to officially qualify for the April 8 nonpartisan contest to replace Lumumba, who died late last month.

Obviously, people weren't paying attention when, right after the reelection of Barack Obama to a second term, Mississippi asked for permission to secede from the Union.

(Again.)

Or whenever Gov. Phil Bryant says he doesn't want anything to do with the Obamacare -- which extends to a state health-care exchange that's been in the works since before Bryant took office.

Clearly, people thought Mississippi was kidding last week when Bryant called on state lawmakers to resist any new federal gun regulations.

And today, at the urging of Republicans, the House even passed a bill that lets the Department of Public Safety ignore companies who try to levy fines on Mississippi residents who get out-of-state photo traffic tickets.

So Reps. Jeff Smith and Gary Chism, both Republicans from Columbus, have a bill that make it clear once and for all:

Hey, federal government, leave us alone!

Their HB 490 clarifies that "protected rights under state sovereignty may not be infringed upon by federal action(s)." The provisions of the act include:

TO ASSERT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE STATE UNDER THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION OF 1890

TO PROHIBIT THE INFRINGEMENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED RIGHTS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, OR ITS PEOPLE BY MEANS OF ANY FEDERAL STATUTE, MANDATE, EXECUTIVE ORDER, JUDICIAL DECISION OR OTHER ACTION DEEMED BY THE STATE TO BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL

TO CREATE THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON THE NEUTRALIZATION OF FEDERAL LAW

TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP AND DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

That Chism and Smith look like a couple of extras out of Django Unchained isn't the only reason their bill has been making the Internet sad all day. It's also because invoking the word sovereignty tends to give thinking Mississippians chills. As Smith and Chism are no doubt fully aware, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was a clandestine organization the Legislation created to spy on Mississippi’s citizens involved with the Civil Rights Movement.

For now, HB 490 fate rests with Constitution Committee Chairman Scott Delano, R-Biloxi. We'll see if it has legs.

At this morning's Hinds County Board of Supervisors meeting, supervisors distributed more than $250,000 to various recreational and other projects around the county. The money is coming from $3.5 million that had been set aside for the Byram-Clinton Parkway development project, which sparked intense debate between two board members.

In recent months, supervisors have routinely moved money from the parkway fund to the recreational fund. Today, supervisors doled out $262,000 to pave Village Drive ($70k) in northeast Jackson, playground equipment for Tougaloo Park ($50k), repairing a community center in Edwards ($80k) and resurfacing John F. Kennedy Drive in Presidential Hills ($62k).

Each vote passed 3-2, with Supervisors Robert Graham, Kenneth Stokes and Alphonso Hunter supporting the expenditures. Two of the projects -- the Village Drive resurfacing and Tougaloo Park lie in Graham's District 1. The town of Edwards and Presidential Hills are in District 2, where Hunter is the representative.

Peggy Hobson Calhoun of District 3 and Robert Walker of District 4 voted against each of the measures.

"We don't have enough funds to give everyone a piece of the pie," Hobson-Calhoun said at the meeting.

District 5 Supervisor Stokes, a staunch opponent of the parkway project, contends that the parkway project will never come to fruition and that the money could help other projects in the county now.

On Sept. 24, Republican nominee for Mississippi state attorney general alleged that incumbent Democrat Jim Hood interfered with an investigation into a Mendenhall police chief. Hood's campaign characterized Hurst's allegations as desperate and "a complete lie." Today, Hood's camp slammed Hurst again, releasing the following statement, published here verbatim:

JACKSON, Miss (Friday, Sept. 25, 2015) – The Mississippi State Auditor’s retired supervising investigator over the case of former Mendenhall Police Chief Bruce Barlow today refuted the lies told by candidate Mike Hurst in his failed effort to save his campaign for attorney general.

Denver Smith, retired Mississippi State Audit, Senior Special Agent with Investigations from 1992 to 2015, issued the following statement through the Jim Hood for Attorney General Campaign:

"In all the time that I worked on the Barlow case, we never heard anything about the Attorney General's office doing anything illegal or improper. I've never heard anything like this until today (Thursday). I knew that the AG's office had closed the case because we were already involved in it with the FBI.”

Smith, who served as the state auditor’s supervising investigator in the Barlow case, continued:

“I checked with other agents who worked the case and asked them if anyone ever said that the AG's office did anything illegal or checked to see if they (the Attorney’s General’s Office) might have tipped Barlow off. These other agents all said they'd never heard of this and knew nothing about it."

Smith’s statement confirms Attorney General Jim Hood’s earlier statement that his office had been investigating the Barlow case in 2010 and then coordinated with the FBI after learning they were conducting their own investigation. The FBI stated they planned to bring federal charges and, based on that information, the Attorney General’s Office transferred its case file to the FBI and closed its state case. Barlow was ultimately convicted,

“First, Mr. Hurst owes an apology to the dedicated investigators and staff in the Attorney General’s Office who he shamefully and falsely accused of wrongdoing,” said Jonathan Compretta, campaign manager for the Jim Hood for Attorney General Campaign. “Second, we call on him to cease airing his fabricated television ads and stop the lies.”

The true testament to Hood’s integrity and character is reflected in the 41 Mississippi sheriff’s and district attorneys who endorsed him on Thursday, the most of any candidate in this year’s statewide elections. Hurst, who used an outgoing sheriff defeated in a primary campaign to concoct the Barlow story, has prosecuted and convicted three times fewer public officials for corruption than Jim Hood, yet touts his undersized record as a reason voters should elect him.

"Jim Hood’s record and his support from law enforcement officers speak volumes about why Mississippians trust him to protect their families,” Compretta said. “Hurst has a record of untruths and ambitious lies that Mississippians from Houston to Hickory can spot in a minute. We hope he will do the right thing and take down his ads.”

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Only 8 percent of registered voters participated in yesterday's local Democratic runoff elections.

With such low participation, it undoubtedly helped community activist Kathy Sykes, who had wide support among progressive grassroots groups and fellow activists. It's also a majority black district. Sykes is African American; her opponent, attorney, Sam Begley is white. In unofficial county results, Sykes defeated Begley with 54 percent of votes to Begley's 46 percent. Begley wrote on Facebook last night saaying while he appeated to "come up short," he has a responsibility to his supporters to canvass the boxes to "confirm the correct result." The winner of that contest will face Republican Pete Perry in November.

Meanwhile, another community activist, David Archie had less success in his bid for Hinds County Board of Supervisors against incumbent Darrel McQuirter. Before the runoff, McQuirter seemed vulnerable considering that on Aug. 4, he won 44 percent of the votes against Archie and former Supervisor Al Hunter, both of whom have battled McQuirter in past elections. It seemed conceivable that Hunter's supporters would prefer Archie, but in the end McQuirter received 57 percent of votes.

The other Hinds County supervisors' runoff ended with Bobcat McGowan, a county employee, defeating Eric Stringfellow, a public-relations professional and former Clarion-Ledger columnist. McGowan seemed to have solid backing among some local black talk-radio talking heads, but didn't do media interviews, including with the JFP.

Finally, Hinds County race of interest, veteran legislator Rep. Mary Coleman defeated Robert Amos for central-district rep to the Mississippi Transportation Commission.

Here are the totals for Hinds County from the county's website:

 TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER (VOTE FOR) 1 (WITH 110 OF 113 PRECINCTS COUNTED 97.35%) Robert Amos. . . . . . . . . . 2,274 20.80 Mary H. Coleman . . . . . . . . 8,614 78.80 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 44 .40 HOUSE DISTRICT 70 (VOTE FOR) 1 (WITH 17 OF 18 PRECINCTS COUNTED 94.44%) Samuel Lee Begley. . . . . . . . 953 46.02 Kathy Sykes. . . . . . . . . . 1,114 53.79 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 4 .19 SUPERVISOR DISTRICT 2 (VOTE FOR) 1 (WITH 29 OF 29 PRECINCTS COUNTED) David L. Archie . . . . . . . . 2,001 42.64 Darrel McQuirter . . . . . . . . 2,688 57.28 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 4 .09 SUPERVISOR DISTRICT 5 (VOTE FOR) 1 (WITH 26 OF 27 PRECINCTS COUNTED 96.30%) Bobby "Bobcat" McGowan . . . . . . 1,221 53.93 Eric Stringfellow. . . . . . . . 1,035 45.72 WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 8 .35 

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors established the procedure for replacing District 2 Supervisor Doug Anderson, who died recently.

To replace Anderson on a temporary basis, board President Robert Graham said the board would accept resumes through County Administrator Carmen Davis' office until the end of May or early June. From there, the county would make sure the applicants live in District 2 and then interview top prospective candidates.

Supervisors scheduled the special election for Tuesday, Nov. 5. Candidates wishing to run must collect signatures from 50 qualified voters; the qualifying deadline is Sept. 6.

Hinds County could also soon have another void to fill. District 2 Supervisor Phil Fisher is a candidate for mayor of Clinton, which, like Jackson, votes tomorrow May 7.

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At a noon press conference at Mississippi Republican headquarters, the state party took the sheet off its newest additions: Seven county-level officials who were elected as Democrats officially joined the Republican Party. According to the Mississippi GOP, those officials include:

Three more candidates have submitted paperwork to run in the April 8 special election for mayor of Jackson.

Last week, the first to file their documents were Albert Wilson and Francis P. Smith — both of whom sought offices last year — and Kenneth Swarts.

The latest information from municipal Clerk Brenda Pree shows that Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber and Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. have also filed papers.

Gwendolyn Ward Osborne Chapman, who also submitted her name in the 2013 Democratic primary for mayor, will also appear on the ballot again.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, to file with Pree's office.

Verbatim press release:

For the eighth consecutive year, U.S. News has produced a ranking measuring the quality of the undergraduate education at historically black colleges and universities. In order to be on the list, a school must be currently designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an HBCU. To qualify for the U.S. News ranking, an HBCU also must be an undergraduate baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students and must be a school that is part of the 2015 Best Colleges rankings.

The Higher Education Act of 1965 defines an HBCU as "any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary (of Education) to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation."

If an HBCU is listed as Unranked in the 2015 Best Colleges rankings, it is also listed as Unranked in the HBCU rankings

In total, there were 80 HBCUs eligible to be included on the list; 69 of those were ranked and 11 of those were Unranked.

1. Spelman College
2. Howard University
3. Morehouse College
4. Hampton University
5. Tuskegee University
6. Xavier University of Louisiana
7. Fisk University
8. Florida A&M University
9. Claflin University
10. North Carolina A&T State University
11. North Carolina Central University
12. Tougaloo College
13. (Tie) Delaware State University
14. (Tie) Dillard University
15. (Tie) Morgan State University
16. (Tie) Winston-Salem State University
17. Johnson C. Smith University
18. Clark Atlanta University
19. Jackson State University
20. Elizabeth City State University
21. (Tie) Lincoln University of PA
22. (Tie) Tennessee State University
23. (Tie) Alabama A&M University
24. (Tie) University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
25. (Tie) Bennett College
26. (Tie) Bowie State University
27. Alcorn State University
28. (Tie) Albany State University
29. (Tie) Fayetteville State University
30. South Carolina State University
31. Bethune-Cookman University
32. Virginia State University
33. Oakwood University
34. Norfolk State University
35. (Tie) Philander Smith College
36. (Tie) University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
37. Prairie View A&M University
38. (Tie) Fort Valley State University
39. (Tie) Kentucky State University
40. Stillman College
41. (Tie) Alabama State University
42. (Tie) Central State University
43. (Tie) West Virginia State University
44. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
45. (Tie) Paine College
46. (Tie) Southern University and A&M College
47. Savannah State University
48. Livingstone College
49. Texas Southern University
50. (Tie) Bluefield State College
51. (Tie) Florida Memorial University
52. (Tie) Grambling State University
53. (Tie) Mississippi Valley State University

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See, the way Thalia Mara Hall is set up....

Kevin Hart will perform in Jackson on Jan. 25.

Tickets went on sale today for the show, slated for Thalia Mara at 7 p.m.

One of the biggest-name stand-up comedians and actors in the business, Hart will appear in a film called "Top Five" directed by Chris Rock. Fellow professional funny people Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld and Whoopi Goldberg will also appear in the film. Hart will appear in three other comedies in 2015, including The Wedding Ringer, Get Hard, opposite Will Farrell and Ride Along 2, a sequel.

Other film credits include Little Fockers with Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller, Death at a Funeral, Fool’s Gold and The 40 Year Old Virgin.

A press release also states that Hart’s other television credits include, hosting BET’s classic stand-up comedy series Comic View: One Mic Stand, ABC’s The Big House, which he also executive produced and wrote, and recurring roles on Love, Inc, Barbershop, and Undeclared.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.

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The speaker lineup for the first TedxJackson, taking place Nov. 6 is out. Here they are:

Marina Bers, Professor at Tufts University, co-founder of KinderLab Robotics

George Bey, Professor of anthropology, researcher of Mesoamerican archaeology

Joel Bomgar, Founder and chairman of Bomgar

Jill Connor Browne, Author and humorist, Queen Boss of the Sweet Potato Queens

Gary Butler, Founder, chairman and CEO of Camgian Microsystems

Kristi Henderson, Director of Telehealth, University of Mississippi Medical Center

Kermit the Frog, Actor, singer, author, Muppet

Andy Lack, Chairman of Bloomberg Media, media industry veteran and visionary

David McRaney, Author and journalist

Melody Moody, Executive director of Bike Walk Mississippi

Hakeem Oluseyi, Professor of physics and space sciences, TED fellow, Science Channel contributor

Joe Reardon, Former mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, economic development consultant

Robert Santelli, GRAMMY Museum executive director, music historian and author

Joe Stradinger, Founder and CEO of EdgeTheory, technology investor and entrepreneur

Richard Summers, University of Mississippi Medical School professor, physician, researcher, scientist

Herman Taylor, Cardiovascular researcher, physician, former director of the Jackson Heart Study

The Hinds County Republican Party said it will also hold a primary election for two seats on the Board of Supervisors.

The county GOP primary will take place Sept. 24 with a runoff on Oct. 8 if necessary. Candidates must qualify by submitting a qualifying form and $15 fee by Friday, July 26 in either the Jackson or Raymond courthouses. The general election is Nov. 5 to replace Doug Anderson, who died earlier this year, and Phil Fisher, who stepped dow to be mayor of Clinton. Anderson represented District 2 and Fisher represented District 4.

Republicans decided to hold a primary only after county Democrats announced plans for primary yesterday, said Hinds County Republican Party Chairman Pete Perry in a statement. Perry said special elections are typically nonpartisan.

On July 1, supervisors temporarily filled the open seats. Al Hunter, owner of contracting firm First Construction Inc., who lives in Edwards, took over for Anderson. Dr. Robert Walker, Vicksburg's first black mayor and now a Byram resident, replaced Fisher.

Walker's appointment also gives all five board seats to African Americans, which has drawn criticism from whites and Republicans because Hinds County's white minority is currently with representation on the board.

The District 4 seat is considered safe for Republicans.

Following through on earlier promises, the newly configured Hinds County Board of Supervisors gave $2.1 million back to the Byram-Clinton Corridor project and earmarked another $1 million to make repairs at the Raymond Detention Center.

Over the past few months, some supervisors had made a habit of taking money out of the corridor-renovation fund for parks and recreation and improving roads in their districts.

The moves drew criticism from proponents of the corridor project, which is intended to draw economic development to the county. Those critics included then-candidates Darrel McQuirter and Tony Greer of District 2 and District 4, respectively

This morning, Greer said he hoped the $1 million allocation to the jail would help the county "get on track" with fixing problems at jail so that the sheriff could focus on crime prevention.

Stokes, long a vocal critic against the Byram-Clinton Parkway, was not in attendance this morning nor was a reason given for his absence.

In other board action, McQuirter asked that no new contracts be executed until he and Greer have a chance to review them. Also, at Greer's urging, the board will develop a policy for board leadership positions to rotate regularly. District 1 Supervisor Robert Graham has served as board president since January 2012; Stokes has served as vice-chair, also since January 2012.

Bill Walker, the former executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and nine other people have been indicted on state and federal charges related to an ongoing investigation into the state agency's spending.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering issued the following statement:

GULFPORT, Miss.- Federal and state grand juries returned indictments this week following a joint investigation into the activities of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (“DMR”) and a $3 million grant issued to the City of D’Iberville, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis, FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen, Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering, Second Circuit District Attorney Joel Smith and Nineteenth Circuit District Attorney Tony Lawrence. The State Auditor’s Office also issued civil demands totaling more than $1 million.

William W. Walker, 68, of Ocean Springs, Scott J. Walker, 34, of Ocean Springs, Sheila Tina Shumate, 52, of Saucier, and Joseph C. Zeigler, Jr., 66, of Gulfport, have been named in a five-count federal indictment, returned on Tuesday, November 5, 2013, charging conspiracy to commit federal program fraud, federal program fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud involving DMR and the Mississippi Marine Resources Foundation.

Scott J. Walker is also named in a separate federal indictment along with Michael Janus, age 47, of Biloxi, charging conspiracy to commit program fraud, program fraud, bribery in connection with a federal program and money laundering. The indictment alleges that Walker and Janus caused a false invoice in the amount of $180,000 to be submitted to the City of D’Iberville for payment of consulting services.

A Harrison County grand jury returned indictments this week against Sheila Tina Shumate, Leslie Young Gollott, Susan Perkins, Jere Grant Larsen, Jr. and Kerwin Cuevas for multiple counts of fraud and embezzlement which allegedly occurred during their employment with the Department of Marine Resources.

In addition, the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office issued demands against ten individuals as part of this investigation totaling $1,022,308.55. The individual demands are listed below:

William Walker- $362,689.14 Joseph Ziegler- $258,268.75 Sheila Shumate- $127,608.57 Leslie Gollott- $117,593.10 Susan Perkins- $ 30,959.34 Grant Larson- $1,342.08 Kerwin Cuevas- $108,420.70 Walter Chataginer- $1,279.85 Kerry Endris- $13,020.66 Samantha Hebert- $1,126.36 “The indictments and demands announced today are one step toward restoring the trust of taxpayers, but they do not close the investigation,” State Auditor Stacey Pickering said. “As alleged in the indictments, these men and women abused their positions, stole from the taxpayers of Mississippi, and they will be held accountable for their actions. I appreciate the hard work and cooperation from the local, state and federal agencies involved including our Special Agents, District Attorneys Joel Smith and Tony Lawrence, Gregory Davis, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, and Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

The public is reminded that an indictment is an allegation that a defendant has committed a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Just as Sam Cooke predicted, a change is gonna come—to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.

Last week, the board's two newest members—Darrel McQuirter of District 2 and Tony Greer of District 4—were officially sworn in and will sit for their first meeting on Monday, Nov. 18.

The additions represent a huge shift in power on the board of supervisors, where President Robert Graham and Vice President Kenneth Stokes have run the show for a long time. Along with ex-interim Supervisor Al Hunter, the three men could—and did—do whatever they wanted.

With the new dynamics, the question now becomes whether Graham and/or Stokes be deposed as board president and vice-president?

Either scenario is plausible.

Stokes was vocally anti-McQuirter during the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat, supporting challengers Willie Earl Robinson and, later, Hunter. Graham, although he did not publicly take sides in the special election, has locked horns with Hobson-Calhoun on a number of issues in the past, and she could seek payback by removing him from power.

Greer, a white Republican, is unlikely to get either of the board's top two slots, but will nonetheless be influential (perhaps even more so than his predecessor, Phil Fisher) because of his relationship with Democrat McQuirter.

The other interesting thing to watch will be how McQuirter's relationship develops with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, who also endorsed Robinson in the primary. If there is any tension the men, they will have to bury the hatchet and find a way to work together as a large chunk of District 2 overlaps with the city.

A temporary ban on a new state law will remain in effect at least through the end of this week.

A group of law enforcement officials, state lawmakers and advocates had successfully sued to prevent a law that clarifies when individuals need to have a permit to carry weapons. Attorneys from the state argued that the law was only a minor change from the existing statute, and should be allow to go into effect. The Mississippi State Supreme Court refused to get involved with the case for procedural reasons.

Today, arguing for plaintiffs, attorney Lisa Ross asked Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd to strike down the law--House Bill 2--as "unconstitutionally vague." Ross invoked the recent shooting at Jackson Police Department headquarters in which a murder suspect disarmed and killed veteran Det. Eric Smith.

"If someone can take a gun from an officer, just imagine what could happen if they had their own gun," Ross said in court.

Jerry Moore, a Hinds County constable and Jackson police officer, was called as a witness. Moore called enforcing the law confusing.

Assistant Attorney General Harold Pizzetta said state law already does not prohibit open carrying of firearms and other weapons and that the new law only makes it clear that individuals must obtain a state permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Kidd said he would leave his previously issued temporary restraining order in place until Friday, July 12.